Doctors Take Medical Training Outdoors

This generation of medical professionals has the opportunity to have the most exciting careers in history

Traditionally, the vast majority of doctors in the UK have spent their entire careers working within the confines of hospitals and clinics. But, spurred on by increasing pressure within the NHS and looking for medical experience elsewhere, medical professionals of all ages are looking to broaden their horizons and work in more unusual areas.

World Extreme Medicine’s Expedition and Wilderness Medicine course in Keswick, Cumbria from 13 to 16 March 2017 will see a group of medics from across the UK hone the skills that will help make them integral members of teams providing advanced medical care in remote areas.

The format of the course – which combines lectures with practical learning – will push attendees mentally and physically over four days, which will culminate in a large-scale search and rescue exercise in the famous Lake District landscape.

Although it takes place in the UK, the four-day crash course will give participants a grounding in a number of different areas of non-hospital medicine that are useful on different sorts of expeditions: tropical medicine, hot and cold-weather medicine, altitude medicine and diving medicine. They will also cover areas like team leadership in extremes, communications systems and pre-expedition planning and casualty evacuation, which they may be unfamiliar with.

The course will be led by Claire Grogan, an expedition doctor whose career has taken her to Belize, Nepal, Morocco, Iceland, France, Italy, Switzerland, the Arctic, Tanzania and the Philippines, and whose experience in jungle, desert, mountain and Arctic maritime environments will be invaluable to the course attendees.

Claire said, “The Expedition and Wilderness Medicine course is a first step for any medical professional who is considering a career outside of a traditional hospital environment.

“Attendees range from those who are curious about different sorts of work within the medical sphere, to those who are already decided on a portfolio career in extreme environments, to more experienced expedition medics.

“As the human race pushes into more of the world’s inhospitable places in search of natural resources or enjoyment, or in the name of science, there need to be doctors who can follow and keep people safe.

“This generation of medical professionals has the opportunity to have the most exciting careers in history!”

Mark Hannaford, founder of World Extreme Medicine, said, “Every extreme medic starts somewhere, and we may just find that the time in the Lake District ignites the expeditionary spark in some of the attendees.

“From there, they can go anywhere. They could provide medical support for scientists working in Antarctica, or with more training go on to work in other exciting areas such as deserts, high mountains or in conflict zones.”

The Expedition and Wilderness Medicine Course costs £895 including VAT and includes the cost of accommodation and catering. Further Expedition and Wilderness Medicine courses will take place in Plas y Brenin, Wales on 15 – 18 May and Lake Bohinj, Slovenia on 2 – 6 October 2017.

Designed to provide medics with the expert knowledge and practical skills they need to become valuable members of an expedition or a remote medical team, World Extreme Medicine’s courses achieve 100% approval ratings from participants, with 82% deeming them ‘Excellent’.

Courses take place both in the UK and abroad, with locations carefully chosen to enhance learning opportunities in the field and enrich the experience for all those taking part.

The World Extreme Medicine Conference and Expo at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS takes place from Friday 19 to Monday 21 November 2016. The World Extreme Medicine Exposition brings together leading experts from around the globe to share ...